Several decades ago, the language barrier significantly limited communication between people from different countries among themselves, but today, in the era of globalization and technology development, cultural differences can be partially leveled by software methods.
A little history
Machine translation is one of the first large-scale tasks that was set before engineers immediately after the creation of computers. It is noteworthy that the most popular direction of translation was initially Russian-English, which allowed Americans to quickly process textual information (including, of course, intelligence information) coming from the USSR in the late 40s and early 50s. Work was also carried out in the opposite direction.
Why Google Translate is the best today
Just like 70 years ago, today the quality of translation depends mainly not on the skill of the programmers working on the application, but on the array of data on which it is trained. Naturally, no company in the world can compare with Google in terms of the volume of processed text information, and therefore the quality of translation. In rare cases, highly specialized applications and services can compete with Google Translator, but for the average user we can safely recommend Google Translate.
What the free Google Translate app for iPhone and iPad can do
Offline translation into 59 languages (online translation into 103 languages)
These are all the common languages and dialects of our planet, not counting the exotic ones spoken by two and a half African villages. That is, it will be very difficult for you to find a person on the Internet with whom it will be impossible to communicate through Google Translate. At the same time, 59 languages are available for offline downloading (separately) and use without an Internet connection.
You can download language packs at Settings programs in the section Offline translation.
You can enter a word (phrase) either manually or by voice.
If necessary, the translated phrase can be read out by clicking on the speaker icon.
In addition, the translation can be enlarged to full screen by pressing this button.
Conversation mode (instant automatic voice translation) in 32 languages
If you go to a foreign language country and try to communicate with people on the street, then instead of text input it will be much more convenient to use voice input. You say a phrase in your native language into the microphone of your smartphone or tablet, and Google Translate instantly responds through the speakers in the language of the local aboriginal.
This translation is currently available for 32 directions, including Russian, English, German, French and other languages.
Translation from camera or photo into 37 languages
Another problem that Google's interpreter can solve is the translation of inscriptions, signs, and signs without text input. For example, when traveling around Asia, you don’t have to install all the necessary keyboards with hieroglyphs on your iPhone; you just need to point the camera at a sign with a Chinese or Japanese inscription, and the application will independently recognize and translate the text from or into 37 languages. You can also recognize text on an uploaded image in the same way, or even draw symbols you saw the day before from memory (Google Translate recognizes handwritten text in 93 languages).
Phrasebook - your own list of necessary words and phrases
It would be a good idea to take advantage of the opportunity to create your own phrasebook. The application allows you to mark and save translations of words and expressions for later use. All languages are supported. To save, click the star. All saved translations will be automatically placed in the tab of the same name.
Handwriting
Just write the text by hand and translate it to any of 93 available languages.
Gone are the days when translators on the App Store were either very expensive or very bad. With the release of applications from leading search engines on mobile platforms, the picture has rapidly changed. Let's list and review the most convenient and functional dictionaries and translators for iPhone and iPad today.
LangBook
LangBook is a very expensive and high-quality dictionary/translator for iPhone and iPad. After purchasing, the program will offer you to download large Offline dictionaries to your phone, which will make you independent of the Internet, which is very convenient if you travel. English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian... There are a lot of dictionaries.The dictionaries pleasantly surprise you with their detail; LangBook contains the transcription and all the meanings of the entered word. The online translator is based on Google Translate.
In addition to speech input, in " Google Translate» there is convenient handwriting input. This function will be especially convenient for those who learn the languages of eastern countries. The program can also translate text on the go using your iPhone’s camera, but this function does not work well, but “Google Translate” copes quite well with translating text from a photo.
Yandex.Translation
Domestic translator from the company of the same name. It is inferior on all fronts to the Google translator, but it has the ability to save dictionaries offline. And this is great, since you can find similar functionality mainly in expensive programs.If you haven’t found an answer to your question or something didn’t work out for you, and there is no suitable solution in the comments below, ask a question through ours. It's fast, simple, convenient and doesn't require registration. You will find answers to your and other questions in the section.
An update to Google's mobile translator with support for offline mode has been released in the App Store. Google Translate 5.0 could be an indispensable assistant for any traveler who no longer needs to speak the language of an unfamiliar country in order to easily navigate the terrain.
The fifth version of the Google translation application introduced translation from 52 languages and back without an Internet connection. To do this, after installing the update, you need to open the program and use the “Check and update” button. After this, in the Offline Translation section, you need to select the language for which you want to download the translation package and confirm loading the data into the device memory.
Google Translator supports instant translation of printed text, including using the camera. Recently, iPhone and iPad users can use the “Translate Now” feature. If earlier, using a camera, it was possible to photograph some text and then translate it, now the translation of a sign, menu or information about a museum exhibit is carried out instantly - it is displayed on the screen mobile device. To do this, just point the camera at the required text. The function can also be used without an Internet connection.
In addition, Google Translate has a conversation translation mode. When communicating with a native speaker of an unfamiliar language, the user needs to go to the voice translation mode in Google Translate, and then select the conversation translation mode. The application will automatically recognize which of the two dialogue languages the phrase is spoken in and will provide a voice translation. The function is available for 38 languages, including Russian.
Among the main features of Google Translate:
- Translate entered text into 103 languages and back.
- Offline translation. Translate into 52 languages and back without an Internet connection.
- Fast camera translation. Instant translation of any inscriptions from 28 languages.
- Camera mode. To translate text, just take a photo of it. 37 languages are supported.
- Talk mode. Automatic speech translation from 32 languages and back.
- Handwriting input. Handwrite text and translate it into any of 93 languages.
100% offline multilingual translator, phrasebook and PROMT dictionary without loss of translation quality. The Internet is only needed to translate web pages and via the clipboard. The English-Russian package is already included in the price of the application. Other languages - German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian - are available through in-app purchases.
Communicate without barriers!
Asking for directions in an unfamiliar city? Warn the waiter about allergies? Find out the bus schedule in a small town? Or just make new acquaintances? Now it’s much easier to do all this with the advent of the “Dialogue” mode. Select the desired combination of languages, specify the topic of translation - for example, “Travel” - and start communicating! The translator works in both text and voice mode.
Instant transfer from any application
Set up a Today screen widget for your clipboard. Use the " " button to send a link or text for translation from other applications.
High quality recognized by experts
For four years in a row, PROMT receives best ratings experts from the International Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) for automatic translation from English into Russian.
The application is already configured for the most popular topics: study, correspondence, business, social media, health, natural sciences and humanities. And thanks modern design, designed specifically for iPhone and iPad, PROMT Offline is very convenient to use!
A complete dictionary for learning languages
Built-in dictionary with modern vocabulary contains translations of words and phrases, parts of speech and transcription. And to practice pronunciation, voicing words will be useful.
Photo translation
It is enough to take a photo of the text you are interested in or select any photo with text from the gallery, and in a moment you will be able to read unfamiliar words translated into native language. If you are translating a menu, select the “Travel” theme, which will help you in the most common situations abroad, including during a visit to a cafe or restaurant.
Instantly translate messages to iMessage!
Add our plugin to iMessage and chat with friends around the world! You can enter outgoing messages from the keyboard, or simply say them out loud - the program will instantly recognize and translate your words.
Do you remember the times when decent dictionaries and translators for iOS cost good money, and there was simply no decent free replacement? With the release of applications from leading search engines, the situation has changed radically and there are now tons of them in the App Store. Today we will look at the 5 best services that help not only translate an unfamiliar word or sentence, but also easily communicate with residents of other countries while traveling.
ABBYY Lingvo dictionaries
The most powerful database of ABBYY Lingvo dictionaries offers high-quality and accurate translation both online and offline. Basic set languages are free here, but if you need something more than a regular translator, you will have to shell out a lot of money. The advantages include good search- by entering a keyword, you will see not only its translation, but also additional options for use in most phrases.
The dictionary also implements photo translation, but it is carried out very inconveniently - one word at a time. To translate entire text, the developers have provided a separate application, for which you will have to pay.
Another feature is cards - phrases or words that you want to learn can be added to a separate menu. In the settings you can enter translation, part of speech and even transcription.
Yandex. Translate
iPhone + iPad + Watch | 21 MB | free | DOWNLOAD in the App Store
Like Google, Yandex promotes its services in all areas. The translator from the well-known search engine is simple and has good functionality - it offers offline translation, text recognition in images, and voice input. Plus, it's completely free.
From my own experience, I can say with confidence that simultaneous translation works perfectly even with a slow Internet connection. Large texts based on photos are translated with a 50% probability; sometimes the translator refuses to recognize the text at all.
There is also an interesting feature that allows you to quickly delete written text - just swipe to the left and the input field will be cleared.
iPhone + iPad + Watch | 48.2 MB | free | DOWNLOAD in the App Store
The application is interesting for some functions that competitors do not have - a translator keyboard and a widget in the notification center. Otherwise, iTranslate is a very simple and intuitive translation tool that can read entire phrases and save favorites in a separate menu. Voice translation settings are available for most languages - you can choose the accent, reading speed, and even the gender of the robot reading your phrases.
Probably the most versatile and convenient translator in the App Store. Google offers all of the above features completely free of charge, packing it into a nice and user-friendly interface. Translating text from photos works well, failures are rare. There is even quite passable handwriting input. I don’t know who it was made for, but the fact of its existence is already pleasing.
The translation history has been conveniently made, which is displayed immediately below the input field - no need to search for recently translated words in separate windows. The only drawback of Google Translate is that it cannot work offline.
Microsoft Translator
Microsoft's translator is still quite young and "green" - the application appeared in the App Store less than six months ago, but has already managed to conquer its niche. The developers focus on simultaneous translation, adding the ability to freely communicate with people whose language you don’t know. All you have to do is open the application on your smartphone and Apple Watch, enable the instant translation function and give the phone number to your interlocutor - the program will show the translated text on the watch and smartphone simultaneously. True, this does not work very correctly yet, and there are very few languages available - there is no need to talk about Russian or Ukrainian at all.
